Luggage valet?

[Nekochan]

Anyone have any idea how the luggage valet service works? Do they transfer your luggage from outside your cabin to the airline?

 

Do you need to buy a RCCL transfer from the ship to the airport in order to use this?

 

Can we 'check in' to the airline from the ship?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Heidi

[wrp96]

The procedures vary by port.

 

For most ports how it works:

 

During the first part of your cruise you fill out paperwork with your flight times on it and turn it into guest relations. The last full day of the cruise, the cruiseline checks you in for your flights including printing your boarding passes and luggage tags. That night, before putting your bags outside your door for pickup, put your airline luggage tags on the bags (this is the last time you will see them until you get home). The next morning you disembark like normal, go through immigration, and then head out of the terminal straight to your chosen ground transportation (you do not have to use cruiseline transfers). When you get to the airport, you can head straight to security and the gate as you are already checked in.

 

In a few ports (including Ft. Lauderdale and San Juan) you have to retrieve your bags the morning you get off the ship and drag them past customs before dropping them off at the truck to go to the airport.

 

It costs $20 per person for up to 2 piece of luggage. Most major airlines participate but not all.

 

In Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, this service is available for flights out of both FLL and MIA.

[Pumbaamd]

Also, this direct from RCCL:

"We are currently working on having this program available on all ships. Currently, the program is offered on sailings 7 nights and longer departing from the following ports:

Ft. Lauderdale

Los Angeles

Miami

Port Canaveral

San Juan

Seattle

Vancouver"

 

We've had to retreive our bags at both FLL and MIA and drag them thru customs, then to the near by truck. It is still well worth the $20 fee.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Rick and Deirdra

[wrp96]

We've had to retreive our bags at both FLL and MIA and drag them thru customs, then to the near by truck.

 

They've changed the procedures in Miami - you no longer have to retrieve your bags.

[pltag]

They've changed the procedures in Miami - you no longer have to retrieve your bags.

Very excited about the whole luggage valet program!! :)

 

The only, only, only issue I see is having to deal with airline liquid restrictions since we are saying goodbye to our luggage on the last night, we will have to take all our toiletries with us in carry-ons.

 

Not a big deal, it will just require a little extra planning.

[tgjr]

This is exelent - too bad it does not work in tampa and on shorter sailings GGGGRRrrrrrr

[rona]

Very excited about the whole luggage valet program!! :)

 

The only, only, only issue I see is having to deal with airline liquid restrictions since we are saying goodbye to our luggage on the last night, we will have to take all our toiletries with us in carry-ons.

 

Not a big deal, it will just require a little extra planning.

I have frequently packed liquids that exceed the carry on sizes in my regular luggage and I dont think it matters if you are valeting it or not...they dont care...

[trixietg]

Can anyone clarify one part of the Luggage Valet service for me?

 

My understanding is that this is not available on a 4-night Majesty of the Seas cruise (port Miami)?

 

Our flight home is not until 4:00pm. We thought we'd find something to do in Miami, but our luggage...

[AriesLV]

We cruised on the Celebrity Solstice three weeks ago for a 7 day cruise leaving Ft. Lauderdale, and took advantage of the luggage valet program.

 

• It cost us $20 per person, and we had three bags. We put them outside of our cabin just like everyone else on the last night of the cruise.
  
• We received special luggage tags which replaced any others we got.
  
• After putting them outside of our cabin, we did not see them again until we got to baggage claim in Las Vegas (where we live). I don't know how they got through security, etc, but we were not required to do anything about it. We were told that if there was a problem, we would be contacted and disqualified from the valet program.
  
• The program is only available on certain airlines. We flew American Airlines, which does participate. The information we got stated that Southwest does not participate (I only add this because it's our usual carrier).
  
• We were told that if any of our bags were overweight, or subject to any other airline fees, Celebrity would just add the price to the credit card we used onboard Solstice.
  
• I really LOVED this program! I really hate schlepping my bags onto shuttles, into rental cars, through airports, etc.
  
• As a final note, our flight was delayed by 12 hours due to a broken airplane. AA put us up at a hotel for the night, and I have no idea where our bags were during that time. We did not have access to them. However, they came off the baggage carousel just like everyone else's in Vegas.
  

[AriesLV]

We cruised on the Celebrity Solstice three weeks ago for a 7 day cruise leaving Ft. Lauderdale, and took advantage of the luggage valet program.

 

• It cost us $20 per person, and we had three bags. We put them outside of our cabin just like everyone else on the last night of the cruise.
  
• We received special luggage tags which replaced any others we got.
  
• After putting them outside of our cabin, we did not see them again until we got to baggage claim in Las Vegas (where we live). I don't know how they got through security, etc, but we were not required to do anything about it. We were told that if there was a problem, we would be contacted and disqualified from the valet program.
  
• The program is only available on certain airlines. We flew American Airlines, which does participate. The information we got stated that Southwest does not participate (I only add this because it's our usual carrier).
  
• We were told that if any of our bags were overweight, or subject to any other airline fees, Celebrity would just add the price to the credit card we used onboard Solstice.
  
• I really LOVED this program! I really hate schlepping my bags onto shuttles, into rental cars, through airports, etc.
  
• As a final note, our flight was delayed by 12 hours due to a broken airplane. AA put us up at a hotel for the night, and I have no idea where our bags were during that time. We did not have access to them. However, they came off the baggage carousel just like everyone else's in Vegas.
  
• One more thing - Celebrity even printed our American Airlines boarding passes for us. We got them, along with our new luggage tags, on the last night of the cruise.
  

[pltag]

I have frequently packed liquids that exceed the carry on sizes in my regular luggage and I dont think it matters if you are valeting it or not...they dont care...

You're right. I think by "regular" you mean your checked bags and it doesn't matter how big your liquids are in checked bags.

 

So, usually we just carry all our toiletries off the ship, claim our luggage and shove them into bags that are going to be checked at the airport. However, now we are not going to see our checked bags after the last night of the cruise. So, whatever we have with us is going to have to be able to be carried on our flight.

 

As I said in my original post, this is still a small trade off for not having to tote my luggage around and I think I am going to love the service! :)